American auto industry not firing on fuel economy

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE

March 06, 2011

If the Feb. 27 Automart review of the Lincoln MKX could be considered representative, the American auto industry has learned nothing from the depression/recession. The article pays little attention to fuel economy, and touts another huge vehicle. Nothing but a slightly downsized relic of the dreadnoughts of the past, a 2-ton behemoth full of whoop-ti-do bells and whistles for the rich. If columns like Automart started pushing smaller fuel efficient cars that cost less than Lincoln MKXs, they would be doing the public some service.

The $40,000 price tag for the Chevy Volt ensures its failure in the marketplace. The auto industry will use it as a poster child for their assertion that Americans don’t want quality, inexpensive, fuel-efficient cars. Meanwhile the Japanese and Koreans will continue to run circles around us in car sales and production.

Don’t blame the UAW either; this is just the continuing quest for short-term profit. My 21-year-old Civic wagon gets better gas mileage than the Volt, weighs 1,000 pounds less and has more room. Battered and rusty, 220,000 miles, but burns no oil and runs great; I’d be lost without it. There is no comparable newer small car. The manufacturers are forcing people like me into bigger, less fuel-efficient crossovers. From what, the dinosaur? I need 40 miles per gallon and room for gear, in a car simple enough to last awhile. Are you listening, Detroit?

Advertisement

David JamesSouth Bend

2nd District South Bend’s 2nd District runs from downtown west to include LaSalle Park. I live in the historic district just west of downtown. I am a member of the Near West Side Neighborhood Organization.

Over the years I have come to know and respect deeply Charlotte Pfeifer, who has announced her candidacy to represent our 2nd District. I also have seen in action, both in committee and Common Council, the current council member for the district.

Pfeifer represented our district from 1996 through 2007. In that role she was effective and hardworking on behalf of all the diverse people who make up the 2nd District. I cannot say the same about the current council member Pfeifer is running against. That individual, in the short time he has served in the council, has proven to be difficult to work with among his fellow council members and, in general, has not represented effectively the broad constituency we in the 2nd District encompass.

For me, the choice between Pfeifer and the current council member for the 2nd District is clear. Pfeifer is by far the right choice - for all of us.

Lynn M. MillerSouth Bend

$ and sense Currently the clamor in Washington is how to reduce items in the 2012 budget.My suggestion is to look within the executive, legislative and judicial divisions of our government, which probably as a group spends billions of dollars that could be cut drastically.

Who controls how many and how often the president’s Air Force One takes off with whom, to where and for what essential reason? What about all the fancy White House dinners and celebrations? Should family travel be at the taxpayers’ expense? I am sure there are many other areas to examine for budget cuts.

The judicial branch I have to leave up to the general accounting office.

The legislative - Congress and its 535 members - is a different story. There has to be a whirlwind of items such as payroll, perks, insurance, lifetime pensions, travel, satellite offices, cost of living adjustments and on and on that could equal tons of budget cuts.

It is time we make our voices heard with our representatives in becoming involved with letting them know what we think of the kind of budget cuts that are needed.

Bob Dunbar Sr.South Bend

Don’t ask I am proud that our government has finally ended the foolish discrimination against gays in the military.

However, I am sad that so many people still believe that God condemns homosexuality.I am currently working on my master of arts in religion at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. I have learned much in the past two years. I can assure the people out there that the Bible in its original language is not anti-gay.

This country for decades has condemned and oppressed the LGBT community because scholars100 years ago did not know what one Greek word meant. They guessed, they guessed wrong and now a lot of good people have this belief that God condemns some of his children because of an accident of birth.

A similar argument was made by theologians in support of slavery, that blacks actually deserved this inhumane treatment because they disgusted God.

Let’s all get over this, folks, and do as Jesus commanded: Love your neighbor as you love yourself.